Melitta launches Keurig killer

JavaJig is the name of a clever little item from Melitta that enables owners of single serve coffee makers to avoid the expense of prefilled cups.

Plenty of consumers love their Keurig machines – 1.4 million of them were sold by parent company Green Mountain Coffee Roasters the third quarter ended June 23 – but those darn K-cups are pricy. For example, Target featured a Keurig machine on the cover of its circular this week with a promotional price of $10.99 for an 18 count pack of Folgers or Millstone brand K-cups. That works out to 61 cents a cup.

Mellita’s solution is to use the JavaJig which is essentially a single cup filter system designed to fit brewing machines such as Keurig. A tiny filter is placed inside a small plastic basket which the user can then fill with their preferred brand of coffee and insert in the brewer. The JavaJig will be available nationwide at major grocery and specialty retailers next month. A starter pack, which includes two filter cups and 30 single-serve filters, will retail for $8.99 with refill packs of 60 filters costing $3.99.

"We’re excited to add the Melitta JavaJig to our ever-expanding selection of premium coffee products. With this filter system, we’re offering consumers an easy and environmentally friendly alternative for single-serve brewing – all at a great value," said Chris Hillman, Melitta’s vp of marketing.

Although much less expensive on a per cup basis, the JavaJig does require extra work on the part of users who have to fiddle with placing the filter in the holder and filling it with ground coffee all to make a single cup. Keurig machine and K-cups enjoy a considerable convenience, but Melitta’s offering will allow do-it-yourselfers to save some bucks.